Door-hanger



3 Sheets-Sheet 1;

' (No Model.)

A. A. BARKER 8v W. BENNETT,

DOORYHANGER. No 379,205.' Patented Mar. 13, 1888..

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' 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. A. A. BARKER 8v W. BENNETT. DOOR HANGER (No Model.)

No. 379,205. Patented Mar. '13, 1888'.

AN? 1/4 E N. PETtRs. Phmm w, Washington. n.c.

ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DOOR-HANGER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 379,205 dated March 13, 1888.

Application filed March 26, 1887.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALBERT A. BARKER and WHITFIELD BENNETT, both of Worcester, in the county of \Vorcester and State of sachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sliding-Door Hangers; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in Which- Figure 1 represents our improved doorhangcr applied to use. Said hanger is, however, shown much larger in proportion to the door than when applied to practice, to more clearly illustrate the construction and operation there;

of. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on line a a, Fig. 1, showing a top or plan view of the hanger and door. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the outer end of the hanger and its support. Fig. 4. is a central vertical section of the parts shown in Fig. 3. Figs. 5 and 6 are detached views of the hangersupport and outer end of the hanger. Fig. 7 is a central vertical section through the inner end of the hanger and a portion of the top of the door and door-frame, part of said door-frame also being shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5. Figs. 8, 9, 10, and 11 represent details of the hanger, hereinafter more fully described. Fig. 12 shows a modification in the construction of the track. Figs. 13, 14, and 15 represent modifications in the construction and operation of the track; and Fig. 16 is an enlarged detail view of the outer end of said modified track. Said Fig. 16 and all the figures from Figs. 4 to 12, inclusive, are shown upon the same enlarged scale as Fig. 3, and Figs. 13, 14, and 15 upon the same scale as Figs. 1 and 2.

Our invention relates more especially to inside sliding-door hangers for use principally in dwellings. The object thereof is to provide a hanger Whose track may be adjusted in addition to the usual door adjustment, and which may be applied in an easy and expeditious manner.

Said invention consists in the construction and arrangement hereinafter specified and claimed, whereby a single track arranged over the center of the door may be adjusted up or Serial N... 232,602. (No model.)

down at both ends from the inner exposed end thereof, and which is so supported that it may be easily removed after being fitted in position and placed in position again for use after the plastering is dry, or at any other subsequent time.

To enable others skilled in the art to which drawings, after which the modifications shown' in the last four figures will be explained.

Referring to said drawings, 11 represents part of the usual rough framing around the door-opening, the part at the side being the door-stud and that overhead the header thereof. The part 0 represents our adjustable track, at d the rolls or wheels which travel thereon, and-e e the doorsupporting frames. Said track a is supported at its inner end upon a screw-bolt, f, fitted to turn in a bearing, g, fastened to frame I), and is raised and lowered by turning said bolt up or down in its beau ing, as required. In this instance we have shown a bearing, h, secured to the end of the track, through which the bolt is passed, and alsoabearing, t, at its opposite end fora similar purpose 5 but we do not limit ourselves thereto. The outer end of the track is raised and lowered by turning a screw-spindle, j, which worksin a threaded opening in the bearing 13,

said spindle being arranged vertically and fitted to turn in suitable bearings at each end formed in the supporting-frame 7c. It is turned by means of a rod, Z, having a bevel-gear, m, secured to its outer end, which meshes with a similar gear, a, fastened to said screw-spindle. Said rod is preferably arranged in a slot formed in the under side of the track for the purpose by and turns in a bearing on frame It. In this instance we have shown the rod as being made in one part; but, if desired, it may be made in two or more jointed and detachable sections for convenience in transportation and to admit of its length being adjusted to-suit different requirements. The track also may be made ofan y desired shape or material suitable for the purpose. We prefer, however, to

.make it of hard wood, with a strip of metal,

0, secured to the bottom thereof to keep it from warping out of shape. We also prefer to form a longitudinal slot, 0 in the bottom of the track, through which to pass the rod 1, but do not limit ourselves thereto, as it may be arranged beneath the same, if desired. In Fig. 12 we have shown the track as being strengthened by means of metallic side strips, 0 0 which in this instance form the sides of slot 0 Previous to our invention the tracks for door-hangers of this class have usually been rigidly fastened in position,which is a serious objection, especially when wooden tracks are used, for the following reasons:

First. If an uneven settlement of that portion of the building in which the hangers are used occurs, the tracks are moved outof a level plane, and in consequence causing the doors to work improperly, which cannot be obviated by the usual adjustment of said doors only. If the tracks are out of level, the doors will not run smooth and evenly, however much they may be adjusted independently of said tracks, as is well known by all house-carpenters.

Second. The tracks being necessarily fastened in position before plastering is applied, the moisture arising therefrom impregnates the wood and causes said tracks to become so badly warped out of shape in some instances as to cause the doors to hang very much out of plumb in one direction in some places and in another direction in other places, the bottoms of the doors, as many will attest, often hanging one and one-half inch or more out of plumb with the tops thereof.

To overcome these two objections and to produce a hanger which may be easily and quickly applied are the principal objects of our invention.

The first-named objection we overcome by employing a single track, which may be adjusted up or down at either end, as previously described, or by any equivalent means other than that shown, and the second by so constructing the supports thereof that it may be easily detached after having been fitted in position. Therefore it may be fitted to the frame-work before lathing and plastering or otherwise closing up the sides, then at once removed from its supports, and at any subsequent time adjusted and fastened in position again after said sides are closed up, thus, as will be obviously seen, removing all liability to injury thereof from moisture or any other cause during the construction of the building. Said result is effected in the following manner: The frame is is provided with a downwardlyprojecting flange, k, and to the door-stud is secured a socket-piece, 0, made and arranged to receive and support said frame and parts connected thereto.

In adjusting and fastening the track and its attachments in position after having been fitted and the socket-pieceoand hearing g have been secured in position, said track is held by its inner end and its outer end passed into the door-pocket. The outer end of frame his then inserted into the socket piece, and the flange k thereof passed down into the vertical slot 0, formed in said socket-piece, thus holding said end, the sides 0 0 securing the frame and track against any rocking motion. The slotted supporting-frames c e are now slipped onto the track over the inner end, and at the same operation the rolls or wheels adjusted in position, as shown in the drawings, when the inner end of the track is fastened up in the manner previously described. Having been thus fastened up and the door fastened to the supporting-frames e e, as hereinafter described, said track is adjusted by elevating or lowering its ends, to bring .it into a level position, as also previously described. Another way of raising and lowering the outerend of the track from the inner end thereof is shown in Figs. 13, 14, 15, and 16, hereinafter described.

The doorsupporting frames 6 e are made with longitudinal slots 0, (see Fig. 8,) to receive the track and wheels, and with transverse slots 6 to receive the hubs d d of said wheels, which travel back and forth in said slots from end to end of the frames when in operation, with the straight level under surfaces 6 c of said frames bearing upon the tops of said hubs. By this construction and arrangement it will be observed that but little friction is produced between the track,wheels,

and supporting-frames, thereby resulting in'.

an easy and light running door. The supporting-frames e e are fastened in the top of the door 1) by means of the downwardly-projecting flanges e 6*, formed or secured upon said frames, the horizontal plates q, preferably mortised into the top of the door and fastened by means of screws 9 thereto and the setscrews r r, the latter being passed through the edges of the door, thence through threaded openings formed in downwardly -projecting flanges g upon the plates (1 q, and up against the outer flanges 6* of frames 6. The plates q q are provided with vertical openings through which to pass the flanges e, a little larger lon gitudinally than said flanges, and the latter are in turn provided, upon the sides thereof opposite from set-screws r, with a series of horizontal notches, g which engage with the edges of the plates when forced up against the same by turning in the set-screws r. The aforesaid construction and arrangement, as will be seen, affords a simple and effective means of fastening, as well as vertical adjustment,for the door,in addition to the previouslydescribed track adjustment.

In the modifications shown by Figs. 13, 14,

IIO

15, and 16 said track adjustment at the outer end is accomplished by making frame It with a central longitudinal slot to receive the end of the track, with transverse slots to receive and guide studs or pins 8, projecting laterally from each side of the end of the track, and by means of which said track is held longitudinally. Said frame is also provided with a central friction-roll, t, over the end of the track, and said end of the track with another friction-roll, a, over which a chain or cord, 1;, fastened at o to the top of the track, is passed, and thence under said track, or in the slot formed in the bottom thereof, and fastened at its opposite end to a nut, w,which is prevented from turning, but allowed to move forward and back in any convenient manner, and which is thus operated by a screw spindle or bolt, 00, held longitudinally and fitted to turn in a suitable bearing on the track. By the aforesaid construction and arrangement it is obvious that by turning said bolt :20 one way or the other the chain or cord 11 is pulled forward or let out, thus raising or lowering the track, as in the first-described instance.

In practice the door is provided with suitable stops and guides; but as said parts may be of any well-known construction and constitute nopart of our invention, it will be unnecessary to describe the same, only the bottom guide, y, being in this instance shown. Ordinarily two doors are hung in pairs,with one of our improved hanger devices over each, placed in reversed positions longitudinally, the inner supporting-bolts,f, being arranged close together over the center of the door-opening, thus bringing all the track adjustments in close proximity to each other and easy of access after the doors are cased up in the usual way.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with a sliding door track, of a screw-bolt, as f, for vertically adjusting the inner end thereof, a permanent rotary rod or bolt extending lengthwise of the said track and having its operating part at the inner end of the latter, so as to be conveniently accessible, and devices operated from U said rod or bolt for adjusting the outer end of the said track. I

2. 'The combination, with the track 0, provided with bearings or brackets h and 11, of the screw bolts or spindlesf andj, the framek, the rod orbolt Z, and the gears m and n, substantially as set forth.

ALBERT A. BARKER. WHITFIELD BENNETT.

Witnesses: 7

WM. D. OHENERY, HENRY L. PARKER. 

